Happy International Women's Day!

hey gang!

this week's weather here has been pretty crazy!
monday, i went for a run before work and didn't have
to wear a jacket the whole day - it was perfect spring
weather. tuesday, i woke up to a half an inch of snow
and it continued to snow all day long. wednesday was
so windy that every gust of wind would set off a
different car alarm - i'm so sick and tired of car
alarms... they can't possibly do any good. and today,
thursday, there's not a cloud in the sky - beautiful,
sunny day! so weird! my new counterpart explained to
me that this is "woman's month" because the weather is
just like a woman - completely different from one
moment to the next! ha! this guy is hilarious - he
jokes around with me all day long! and it's the good
kind of humor too - the kind that's not allowed back
home cause of pesky "politically correct" attitudes.
even when he says something that's not funny, i'm
laughing at him instead of with him cause i think he's
funny! we're gonna be good friends!

the move to my new town was exhausting and i'm glad
it's over. though more than a month has gone by, i'm
still not quite settled in yet. there are still things
i need to buy for my apartment, and there are still
things i need to find in the city. in fact, i haven't
even met my new neighbors yet! life in a big city is
completely different than that of kalofer. in kalofer,
everyone knew me before i even showed up! here, it
seems no one really cares. but as the days go on, and
i interact with different members of the community,
people are starting to recognize me and ask where i'm
from and what i'm doing here and such. i've found it
easiest to frequent a few places regularly and in
doing so i've made some friends. there's a lady that i
pass on the way to work every day that owns a fruit
stand and she always comes out to tell me to have a
good day. and the owner of the tiny grocery store at
the bottom of my apartment complex is insistant on
conversing with me any time he can catch me! he always
wants to know how to say something in english and if i
know the equivalent in russian (?). i can't understand
most of what he's saying anyway on account of the
cigarette in his mouth and the bottle of whatever that
he just finished drinking. the people i interact with
seem reluctant at first to say too much - but when
they tell me that i speak very good bulgarian, and i
say "thanks, so do you" they always laugh and open
right up to me. but with that said, there's only a few
people here that i've really spent any time talking
to.

varna is a big city, and with it, there's the big city
mentality. people are cold and less willing to talk.
back in kalofer and even krichim, i would greet anyone
i passed - here when i do that i get looks like i'm
crazy. this city is way too big, way too fashionable,
and way too busy for my comfort level. the one saving
grace is the ngo i'm working for.

i'm working for a non governmental organization called
Public Environmental Center for Sustainable
Development. they've been around for 10 years or so
and have done some fantastic things! the work here is
a far better match for my skills and passion. and my
counterpart is a far better match for my personality.
he's a big goofball - always laughing! the work i'm
doing: there's a weekly paper collection/recycling
campaign that we do with various participating
businesses in the community. the idea was based on
saving trees, not just recycling paper, and that
mentality goes a long way with me. along with that,
there's an annual beach cleanup with local kids. this
spring, there'll be a tree planting campaign for the
kids throughout the city. outside this ngo, i'm
working with the bulgarian scouts, which is also the
recipient that our group has decided to do the
fundraiser for the athens marathon this coming
november. but the big project i'm working on, is
bringing biodiesel to bulgaria. biodiesel doesn't
exist here, which is silly because there's a lot of
diesel cars here and biodiesel can be cheaper
and is way, way better for the environment. so, my
plan is convince people that i can make really high
quality biodiesel from old, waste cooking oil that's
been disposed of from restaurants in town. then, i'm
gonna teach a few people to do the same, and try to
promote its production and use! it would significantly
improve the air quality here if it catches on. the
trick is getting it to catch on!

my new counterpart explained to me that everyone's
mentality is still back in the communism days. that
is, they don't really care to think about
environmental issues because, "hey, the government
will take care of it." it's unfortunate to see that
kind of mentality, and perhaps my biggest challenge
while i'm here will not be to make a really cool
biodiesel project, but to convince the community that
if they want something done right they have to do it
themselves! or something like that. in any case, i am
really excited about bringing biodiesel here and with
various people that i've encountered and told them
what i'm doing - it sounds like they're all for it
too. for now. but it's proven hard to implement. i
spent all day today walking around through the city
looking for a thermometer and ended the day without
success. i need to measure the temperature of the oil
that i'll be converting to fuel and a thermometer
would suit me best to do this. i stopped in every
store selling anything closely related - anything
related to cooking or car parts, i stopped and asked.
the word in bulgarian for thermometer is: "termometor"
- almost identical! and at each place they looked at
me like i had asked for a "&^@!$#" nobody understood
my vowel pronunciation, so i had to go through saying
i wanted something to watch how much the temperature
is. "oh, termometor!" they would say... it got
irritating pretty quick. and in the end, i was empty
handed. all i want is a little thermometer! how hard
could that be!?! but, i guess in relation to how
reliable most ovens are here, who really needs a
thermometer to begin with! ha!

last week i went to istanbul! it was wonderful! i
mean, the city itself was quite nice, and i'm not
usually keen on big cities. but i think the best part
was getting a small break from bulgaria. i love it
here, don't get me wrong, but a break was definitely
in order! istanbul was huge! and the different
districts we visited had completely different feels to
them as if they were their own cities. i enjoyed it a
lot - and for being so close to bulgaria, and having
it's historical significance with bulgaria, it's such
a different place! the people and culture were so
completely different! i was amazed. and further, i'm
fascinated with the turkish culture and want to
explore more. good thing i'm so close!

well, that's mostly it from here... i mean, i've
mostly been focused on trying to make myself
comfortable in my new apartment and new city. i do
have a couple new talents that i can add to my list of
skills: i can make a mean lentil soup and some of
the finest chocolate chip cookies (from scratch) in
all of bulgaria! they don't have cookies here, so when
i make them, people get really excited! below is some
contact/communication info, as i finally got internet
in my new apartment - and soon i'll post some new
pictures!

hope everything is wonderful and happy on your end!
tell me hi or something.

your favorite peace corps volunteer in allllll of
bulgaria,

andy!